Hand grip and method of making same

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a multicompound hand grip for an implement, like a golf club grip, that has varying hardness in selected areas. The grip has an inner sleeve and an outer panel. The inner sleeve is made of a first elastomeric material and includes selected raised portions that provide a reinforcement ridge in some embodiments to provide varying hardness at selected locations or areas. The sleeve is made of a material having a durometer value that differs from the material and the durometer value of the outer panel to provide a grip with good tactile feel and gripping qualities.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to grips and, moreparticularly, to hand grips for sporting implements.

BACKGROUND

There are many different types of grips used today for a wide variety ofitems, including without limitation, golf clubs, tools (hammer handles,screwdrivers, etc.), racquets (racquet ball, squash, badminton, ortennis racquets), bats (baseball or softball), pool cues, umbrellas,fishing rods, etc. While particular reference for this disclosure isbeing made to the application of golf club grips, it should beimmediately apparent that the present disclosure is applicable to othergrips as well.

Slip-on golf club grips made of a molded rubber material or syntheticpolymeric materials are well known and widely used in the golf industry.The term “slip-on” as employed herein refers to a grip that slides on toa shaft or handle and is secured by way of an adhesive, tape, or thelike. Slip-on grips are available in many designs, shapes, and forms.

Golf club grips historically have been made of a wide variety ofmaterials such as leather wrapped directly on the handle or leatherwrapped on sleeves or underlistings that are slipped on to the handle,or more recently rubber, polyurethane or other synthetic materials areused. Efforts are constantly being made to improve the gripping qualityof the grip without sacrificing the torsional resistance of the grip onthe handle or club. Currently, there is great interest in the so-calleddual durometer grips which are grips that apply two layers of differentmaterials with varying hardness to provide a grip that has good gripfeel and still provides good swing performance.

Thus, there still exists a need for a hand grip that includes arelatively soft outer layer with frictional gripping qualities andtactile feel for a comfortable gripping surface and control, yet has afirm inner layer to minimize torque and maximize responsiveness whenswinging a club or handle.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a hand grip having a varying hardnessin selected locations which comprises an elongated flexible sleeveconstructed to slip onto a shaft. The flexible sleeve is injectionmolded and formed from at least a first elastomeric material and has apredetermined shape with raised portions in selected areas that definesa lower surface portion of the sleeve. An elongated flexible panel of atleast a second elastomeric material and a shape constructed to fitwithin the lower surface portion and wrap around the lower surfaceportion of the sleeve is compression molded to the sleeve and isintegrally bonded thereto for forming the grip.

The various features of novelty which characterize the presentdisclosure are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed toand forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of theinstant disclosure, its operating advantages, and specific objectsattained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings,and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible sleeve for a golf club grip,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the flexible sleeve of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a flexible panel that is configured to bewrapped around and adhered to the flexible sleeve.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the flexible panel of FIG. 4 taken alonglines 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a golf grip made inaccordance with the disclosed method.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the golf grip shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the golf grip shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the golf grip shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 depicts the injection molded sleeve situated in a portion of theinjection molding die.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the sleeve on a mandrel being placedwithin an upper and a lower half of a compression mold with a flexiblepanel.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a golf grip madein accordance with the disclosed method.

FIG. 13 is a rear view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12and 13 taken along lines 14-14.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of a golf gripmade in accordance with the disclosed method.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a partial sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 15taken along lines 17-17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, and preferred embodiments areshown and described. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, thethickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features maybe exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features oroperations unless specified otherwise. All publications, patentapplications, patents, and other references mentioned herein areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The terminologyused herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments onlyand is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms“a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein,the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more ofthe associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between Xand Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include Xand Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean“between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “fromabout X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It willbe further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the specification andrelevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions orconstructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”,“attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc.,another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to,coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements mayalso be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being,for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected”to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element,there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciatedby those of skill in the art that references to a structure or featurethat is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions thatoverlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”,“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements orfeatures. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both anorientation of “over” and “under”. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms“upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and the like are usedherein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicatedotherwise.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a “first” element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould also be termed a “second” element, component, region, layer orsection without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the orderpresented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicatedotherwise.

Even though embodiments of the present disclosure are particularlysuited for use as golf club grips and reference is made specificallythereto, it should be immediately apparent that embodiments of thepresent disclosure are applicable to any device/apparatus that uses ahand grip or sport grip as mentioned previously herein.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown an elongated flexiblesleeve or underlisting 10 employed as a base member for forming thecompleted golf club grip depicted in FIGS. 6-9, and FIGS. 12-17. Sleeve10 is configured to slip onto and be secured to a golf club shaft,according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The sleeve 10 has aninternal passageway 12 configured to receive a golf club shaft and has atapered configuration wherein a lower end 14 (proximal end) has acircumference that is smaller than a circumference of the upper end 16(distal end). However, golf club grips according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure may be designed for virtually any type of golfclub, namely both putters and so-called “swing grips”, as are shown inFIGS. 6-9 and FIGS. 12-17, for irons and woods. As such, sleevesaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure may have variousshapes and configurations depending on the type of golf club on whichthe sleeve is to be attached.

The illustrated sleeve 10 is formed preferably by injection molding froman elastomeric material such as, for example, silicone, natural rubber,synthetic rubber, polyurethane, or like polymeric material. The sleeve10 comprises a material with a first selected hardness. As is known tothose skilled in the art, a durometer value or rating is aninternational standard for the hardness measurement of rubber, plasticand other non-metallic materials. Durometers are described in theAmerican Society for Testing and Material specification ASTM D2240.Sleeve 10 is preferably formed of natural or synthetic rubber to ahardness value ranging from approximately 50 to approximately 60 Shore Ahardness by injection molding.

Returning to FIGS. 1-3, sleeve 10 includes a proximal end 14 and anopposite distal end 16 connected to each other by a ridge 15 as bestseen in FIG. 1. Ridge 15 serves several different purposes besides beingornamental, including but not limited to providing a zone or area ofvarying hardness for gripping, strengthening the sleeve 10, and alsofunctioning as a guide for proper hand alignment. Additionally, Theproximal end 14, distal end 16, and ridge 15 together define a raisedsurface portion 17 of sleeve 10 that is elevated or raised by a selectedheight h from a lower surface portion 18 that may extend eithercompletely around or partially around the sleeve 10 in a desiredarrangement or pattern at selected locations or areas as seen in theseveral views. A nipple portion 19 of proximal end 14 includes anaperture 20 for passageway 12 that receives a golf club shaft 22 shownin dashed lines in FIG. 1. The nipple portion 19 has a tapered outerperipheral wall portion that may include an optional decorativehemispherical lower groove 24 disposed in the body of the nipple 19.Optional lower groove 24 comprises two hemispherical portions on thefront and back of the sleeve 10 as best seen in FIGS. 1-3 and isprimarily decorative in nature.

A cap portion 26 is located at the distal end 16. Cap 26 is furtherdefined by an optional decorative hemispherical groove portion 24′similar to groove 24. Cap portion 26 and nipple portion 19 arepreferably integrally formed in sleeve 10. However, other embodimentscan include a cap or nipple being added to sleeve 10 as separate piecesas is known in this art. Embodiments of the present disclosure, however,are not limited to the illustrated sleeve 10.

Referring next to FIG. 4, there is shown a flexible panel 28 made of aflexible elastomeric material, such as, for example, silicone, naturalrubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, or like polymeric material.Panel 28 has generally a rectangular shape with a lower end 30 in theshape of an arc, and is constructed to be wrapped around and compressionmolded on sleeve 10 in an arrangement that positions it on where itsubstantially covers the lower surface portion 18 of sleeve 10. Thethickness t of panel 28 is defined relative to the dimension h takinginto consideration and compensating for any changes in the dimensionalthickness due to the compression molding process. The lower or proximalend 30 of panel 28 is preferably in the shape of an arc and isconstructed to be received within the cup portion 32 in the proximal end14 of sleeve 10. The panel 28 is a material, or may even be severaldifferent materials, in a combined or layered manner, that preferablyhas a different durometer value or an arrangement of varying hardnessfrom that of sleeve 10. The durometer value of panel 28 preferablyranges from approximately 30 to approximately 45 Shore A for providing agrip feel with good frictional qualities and a tactile feel. It shouldbe immediately apparent that other embodiments of the panel 28 of theinstant disclosure will take the same shape as the desired pattern ofthe lower surface of the sleeve in other embodiments as seen in FIGS.12-17. The shape of panel 28 depends upon the shape of the selectedpattern or locations of the lower surface portion 18 of the sleeve 10and the desired shape and width of the ridge 15 in the sleeve 10. As isapparent from FIGS. 12-17, the sleeve 10 and ridge 15 may have differentselected shapes or forms which will influence the shape and width ofpanel 28 to conform with the lower surface portion 18 of the sleeve 10in the desired or selected areas or locations to provide a grip withvarying hardness in selected locations, and desired feel in thoselocations. The panel 28 can have different selected durometer valuesdepending upon desired gripping characteristics and patterns.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, printedindicia, ornamental features and styling, and grip design enhancementssuch as grooves, channels and/or indentations as described in greaterdetail with respect to FIGS. 12-17 may be applied on or into the surfaceof the panel 28 even when it is still in a flat condition prior to beingcompression molded on the sleeve 10.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the elongated flexible panel 28 is configuredto be wrapped around sleeve 10 and integrally bonded thereto by way ofcompression molding the panel 28 onto the lower surface portion 18 ofthe sleeve 10 to form the completed golf club grip. The illustratedpanel 28 includes opposite proximal and distal end portions 30, 34,opposite first or top surface 36 and second or bottom surface 38, andopposite first and second edge portions 40,42. The distal end 34 has awidth greater than that of the proximal end 40 and the first and secondedge portions 40,42 taper outwardly beginning from the proximal end 30going towards the distal end 34, as shown, in order to conform with theshape of the sleeve 10 for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-9. Theillustrated panel 28 has a configuration such that, when wrapped aroundsleeve 10, the opposite first and second edge portions 40,42 will touchthe ridge 15 on opposite sides. Ridge 15 may be used to assist in handalignment or hand placement on the completed grip. Also, the grip feelwill be selectively distinct for those fingers placed on the ridge 15and those placed on panel 28 since these two materials have differentdurometer or hardness values.

Flexible panels according to embodiments of the present disclosure canhave any shape and configuration necessary depending upon the shape andconfiguration of a sleeve around which they are to be wrapped and bondedthereto by compression molding as later described herein, or bonded tothe sleeve by alternate means including without limitation adhesivebonding. Embodiments of the present disclosure, however, are not limitedto the illustrated shape and configuration of panel 28.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, exposed panelsurface 36 may be smooth or may contain patterns and/or impressionsformed therein as mentioned previously. It is recognized that theflexible sleeve 10 may separately include patterns/impressions formedtherein or thereon as well. According to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure, panel 28 may be clear or may have one or more colors and/orgraphics/patterns thereon.

Referring to FIGS. 6-9, a golf club grip 50 formed by bonding the panel28 of FIG. 4 to the sleeve 10 of FIGS. 1-3 is shown in the severalviews. Grip 50 is aesthetically pleasing and may include any of a widevariety of designs, indicia or impressions on the grip 50.

The method for forming golf grip 50 begins with making the sleeve orunderlisting 10 by injection molding the sleeve 10 in a die 52. FIG. 10shows a completed sleeve 10 in one half of a schematically illustrateddie 52. The structure and operation of injection molding dies are wellknown in this art. The cavity of the die 52 is hollowed out in thedesired shape of the sleeve10 and the first elastomeric material, whichis preferably a rubber material, is injected in a liquid state into thecavity of die 52 through a passage 54. Injection molding of rubber gripsis well known in this art and requires no further explanation here, forexample, suitable methodology is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No5,261,665.

Turning next to FIG. 11, after the injection molding step, the formedsleeve 10 is placed on a mandrel 54 with panel 28 positioned over thelower surface portion 18 of the sleeve 10 within the two halves 56, 58of a compression mold. The two halves 56, 58 of compression mold arebrought together with pressure and heat as is well known in this art tobond and/or fuse panel 28 to sleeve 10 for forming the grip 50. The heatprovided by the compression mold and the compressing force is sufficientto form the material of panel 28 and the sleeve 10 into an integratedgrip 50. If the material is rubber, the heat is sufficient to vulcanizethe rubber of the panel 28 to the sleeve 10.

The method of the present disclosure can be used to form grips ofvarious designs and shapes. FIGS. 12-14 show another embodiment of agrip 60 according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, theridge 62 only extends partially along the length of the grip 60 asillustrated, and provides a varying hardness in that selected location.The ridge 62 in this embodiment or other embodiments as mentionedpreviously can also serve as a guide for hand alignment or placement onthe grip 60 for a consistent swing. The panel 64 which is similar inmaterial to panel 28 is molded to the lower surface portion of the grip60 as described previously and is shown with a frontal view in FIG. 12,and a rear view shown in FIG. 13. The portion of the grip 60 not coveredwith panel 64 includes the upper end 66 and the lower end 68 seen inFIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a portion of grip 60depicting channels 70 cut into selected areas and arranged in a setmanner as shown for a decorative and ornamental appearance. Channels 70further may add to the frictional resistance and grip feel of the grip60.

Referring next to FIGS. 15-17, there is shown still another embodimentof a golf club grip 80 according to the present disclosure. Grip 80unlike the other embodiments herein does not include a ridge portion,but may include an elevated area 88 for marking a brand or otherindicia. A panel 82, similar in structure and material to panel 28,wraps around a selected lower surface portion of the sleeve. Theselected surface for grip 80 extends from the cap 84 at the upper end ofthe grip to the nipple 86 at the lower end of the grip 80. Panel 82optionally includes a surface area 88 for printed indicia, like a tradename or trademark, and may be elevated if desired. Panel 82 also caninclude an ornamental and decorative design as seen in FIGS. 15-17. Thedecorative design seen in FIGS. 15-17 can also serve to provide atactile grip feel with good gripping characteristics like grip feel, andfrictional gripping qualities. The selective arrangement of the designshown in FIGS. 15-17 includes channels 90, indentations 92, and grooves94 positioned in an organized structure in the grip 80. This designallows an individual to firmly grasp and hold onto the grip. Thechannels 90 are preferentially disposed in a fairly circumferentialmanner on the grip 80 as seen in FIGS. 15-17. The indentations 92 arespaced axially along the length of the panel 82 and each indentation hasa depth d that is greater than a depth of channel 90. The grooves 94 aredisposed along the length of the panel 82 in an arrangement where eachgroove curves in the direction of the opposite side of the grip 80 asseen in FIGS. 15 and 16. The channels 90, indentations 92, and grooves94 together feature a unique and pleasant design and add to the feel ofthe grip 80.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present disclosure and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments ofthis disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as definedin the claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, withequivalents of the claims to be included therein.

1. A golf grip, comprising: an elongated flexible sleeve constructed toslip onto a shaft, said entire flexible sleeve being injection moldedand formed from at least a first elastomeric material, said flexiblesleeve having a cap portion at an upper end, a nipple portion at a lowerend, and a ridge extending from said cap portion to said nipple portion,and being connected thereto, said cap portion, said nipple portion andsaid ridge defining raised portions of said flexible sleeve; and asingle elongated flexible panel of at least a second elastomericmaterial constructed to wrap entirely around a lower surface portion ofsaid flexible sleeve, said flexible panel being compression molded andintegrally bonded to said flexible sleeve for forming a grip withvarying hardness.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The grip of claim 1, wherein saidflexible panel comprises a material with a durometer value differentfrom a durometer value of said flexible sleeve.
 4. The grip of claim 3,wherein said flexible panel comprises a durometer value ranging fromapproximately 30 to approximately 45 Shore A.
 5. The grip of claim 4,wherein said flexible sleeve comprises a rubber material with adurometer value ranging from approximately 50 to approximately 65 ShoreA.
 6. (canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled) 10.(canceled)
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. (canceled)
 14. (canceled)15. The grip of claim 1, further comprising grooves selectively arrangedin the outer surface of said flexible panel.
 16. A method of forming agrip, the method comprising the steps of: injection molding a flexiblesleeve of at least a first elastomeric material configured to slip ontoa shaft of an implement; wrapping a flexible panel of at least a secondelastomeric material around a selected portion of the sleeve; andsubjecting the flexible panel and flexible sleeve to sufficientcompressive force and heat to integrally bond the flexible panel to theflexible sleeve in a manner that forms a grip with varying hardness atselected locations on the grip.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thestep of subjecting comprises the step of compression molding theflexible panel to the flexible sleeve.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the grip comprises a golf club grip.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the sleeve is injection molded with elevated portions thereonand an axially extending ridge.